tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38274372751841583032024-02-26T23:09:50.036-08:00Jeff's Home RenovationRenovating a 1962 ranch, one step at a time.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-68829976527885206642009-05-31T11:39:00.001-07:002009-05-31T11:51:57.256-07:00Spending $7.00 to save $75.00We were having some more drain problems.<br /><br />The laundry tub was draining very slowly, so when we were doing laundry it was filling up. Since we don't watch the washer & dryer like a hawk we didn't notice this until we also did a load of dishes at the same time. <br /><br />The laundry and kitchen sink drain through the same stack, so they conspired to fill and overflow the laundry tub. Luckily we have a floor drain right in that area so there was no damage. The drain was blocked BEFORE the floor drain, other wise we'd have had a bigger problem.<br /><br />I could have snaked the drain if I had a snake or if I could have gotten the brass access plug off of the stack. So I went with Plan B.<br /><br />In this case, Plan B was liquid drain cleaner. At $7.00 a bottle it's much cheaper than a plumber. IF it works.<br /><br />I gave it a couple of tries according to the manufacturer's directions and didn't notice any appreciable changes, it still drained verrrrrrry slowly.<br /><br />Hoping that the chemicals at least started breaking things up I decided to give it a little force. One of the two tub drains was plugged and a hose was stuck in the other one. A wet towel was used to seal around the hose as well as possible.<br /><br />After a few seconds of pressure from the hot water heater I could hear things break loose and the water started draining quickly.<br /><br />I'm not sure if it was the pressure or the chemicals or a combination of the two, but the job is done and I didn't have to call the plumber to snake the drain.<br /><br />Granted it might not be a bad idea to have somebody come out and scrape the pipes, but at least I don't HAVE to do it now.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-20639890734456464202009-05-08T18:38:00.000-07:002009-05-08T18:56:44.836-07:00Getting the Garden StartedIt was a nice day so I decided to get started on the garden. I've had the tarp down over the grass for about 5 days in an effort to kill the grass.<br /><br />It didn't work out quite as well as I had hoped, probably because I didn't cut the grass real short before putting the tarp down.<br /><br />The ground was still pretty damp, and since our ground contains a lot of clay it didn't till as well as I had hoped.<br /><br />Either way, the tiller did a pretty good job cutting through the sod. The tiller was certainly worth the price I paid (free).<br /><br />Over the weekend, if the weather is good I plan to hit the store and pick up some landscape timbers to frame the garden. Then a few yards of topsoil to fill it in and I should be all set for planting.<br /><br />Since it's late in the season to start with seeds we'll just put in plants from a local greenhouse.<br /><br />More to come.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-20493247483470748772009-05-03T16:51:00.000-07:002009-05-03T17:11:21.313-07:00Beautifying the RanchNo, I'm not putting pictures of me in front of the place, but thanks for the thought.<br /><br />There is a planting bed at the front of the house. It's got a southern exposure so it gets plenty of sunlight. Last year my wife picked out the plants for it, and her theme was "Flowers that Jeff hates."<br /><br />This year I beat her to the punch and picked up some plants from Menards. I got a half-dozen different styles/colors, including some grasses.<br /><br />To prepare the bed I finally got a chance to use the rototiller. It was a tight fit in this narrow bed, but it chewed through the ground without a problem. Well, it should, it's only lightly compacted dirt. I did the same on a planting bed on the side of the house, but haven't picked up the plants for that area yet. I still need to remove the stump from an old burning bush which was planted there and allowed to grow wild.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N7sgxDu16yzMdc4YuKgth4LMaaf_csuyMgG8j_jfDaeR7cMojFkw731uw9qEro5sao3rCmFCRPf49aOC-sIP7TBPQzwrll2but3sQp-uLddlVTzArxrYYH-XK4rOL8DgvHRz_33QMe4/s1600-h/100_4552.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N7sgxDu16yzMdc4YuKgth4LMaaf_csuyMgG8j_jfDaeR7cMojFkw731uw9qEro5sao3rCmFCRPf49aOC-sIP7TBPQzwrll2but3sQp-uLddlVTzArxrYYH-XK4rOL8DgvHRz_33QMe4/s400/100_4552.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331749740929467282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I also started preparing a spot in the back yard for a garden, which should really give the tiller a workout. Currently the spot is covered with a thick layer of grass. I could possibly till right through it, but if the grass is still alive it'll start growing right away once I plant and water the garden.<br /><br />The goal is to kill the grass. Yeah, I could remove it with a sod cutter or a shovel, but that's a LOT of work that I don't want to do, so I went with "Plan B". <br /><br />Plan B is covering the ground with a dark tarp and letting the heat generated do the hard work for me. Between the heat and the lack of sunshine I should be able to accomplish the goal. I could also use a lot of grass killer, but would rather not.<br /><br />Since the days are longer now I'll probably break out the tiller after work in the next day or two and break the ground up. Then it gets covered up again for a few days before tilling again. Maybe it'll be ready to plant in a few weeks.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-2914000166984310252009-04-26T15:30:00.000-07:002009-04-26T15:38:19.376-07:00More Regular MaintenanceWhile you're cleaning out your gutters and changing the batteries in the smoke detectors, don't forget your furnace air filter.<br /><br />This one was installed last fall. I use Honeywell filters that are pleated and about 4" thick. Pretty nasty looking.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVyUnMKsMoQNE2r3qCaHtSP1BJczOUJtlsmn-8U8yMubIMR4_eyxDebS9gxEIR7tCaXMp5ZTOrxBfsVMq2r2vDNS_bEFbpyERkVj8zfsZWd4Y4GyZAIeQTdhm2yBGeUZuRC39FM68Z3g/s1600-h/100_4540.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVyUnMKsMoQNE2r3qCaHtSP1BJczOUJtlsmn-8U8yMubIMR4_eyxDebS9gxEIR7tCaXMp5ZTOrxBfsVMq2r2vDNS_bEFbpyERkVj8zfsZWd4Y4GyZAIeQTdhm2yBGeUZuRC39FM68Z3g/s400/100_4540.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329131433859935714" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The back side is nice and clean. This is what the new filters look like (except for the wire mesh which is only on the back side). The 4" thickness along with the pleating increase the surface area tremendously compared to a generic 1" filter. Because of the extra surface area I only have to change the filter twice a year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_HEpeu7Mzo20t6QXCimgCPO_vLOvMFAqSSDxgvRopGa52vFRrPvnQv640boF7MjhykWvku8J6mge8CarqMcEhg8RRp7KGldwEJJf0WcWBSILKeziEAJhjn3UX6VmTlIm7wuRYxdt3hU/s1600-h/100_4542.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_HEpeu7Mzo20t6QXCimgCPO_vLOvMFAqSSDxgvRopGa52vFRrPvnQv640boF7MjhykWvku8J6mge8CarqMcEhg8RRp7KGldwEJJf0WcWBSILKeziEAJhjn3UX6VmTlIm7wuRYxdt3hU/s400/100_4542.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329131427578765490" border="0" /></a>Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-41201227115039198252009-04-26T14:03:00.001-07:002009-04-26T14:43:50.671-07:00Ghetto Metal FabricationBack to the rototiller I got for free a few weeks ago. I didn't notice it right away, but there was no shield around the tiller blades. This wouldn't keep it from operating, but it would make using it a very dirty operation for me as it would throw dirt all over me.<br /><br />Time to do a little metal fabrication!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpxTwlHtVHjf1ZtOvbSwryydcgpDB6LO9I4PmipFyxn4UEIBtK0ssHbUlDQsRrTIHSwLRcZw96ighgdlFS4XQK0Bso28L6XAttupITkHRbW6GUYrPFotenxlrw5-gMQ9rKx_MY1RLYbQ/s1600-h/100_4538.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpxTwlHtVHjf1ZtOvbSwryydcgpDB6LO9I4PmipFyxn4UEIBtK0ssHbUlDQsRrTIHSwLRcZw96ighgdlFS4XQK0Bso28L6XAttupITkHRbW6GUYrPFotenxlrw5-gMQ9rKx_MY1RLYbQ/s400/100_4538.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329109292199515474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A few years back I did a lot of metal fabrication in the garage of our previous house. This Humvee replica was built on a Chevy Suburban chassis. Everything brown was fabricated from scratch. The cammo parts are military surplus, and the doors are replicas. Compared to this, a dirt shield for an old rototiller should be a piece of cake!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxWeIsQ2NeDfvU1SoZIFv50_Baw8VacYcjtQFWZI_hswbPVwrRUTpulyQ3OlPgR5WE0Dkadb4vFDI9-qCRO4YOoEVJxqk6-dEw33tF26i5BX4-KmicOFdbXfOeqXR6mc1UA8PLswFVE8/s1600-h/Image020.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxWeIsQ2NeDfvU1SoZIFv50_Baw8VacYcjtQFWZI_hswbPVwrRUTpulyQ3OlPgR5WE0Dkadb4vFDI9-qCRO4YOoEVJxqk6-dEw33tF26i5BX4-KmicOFdbXfOeqXR6mc1UA8PLswFVE8/s400/Image020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329113139278375970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />First step was to remove the motor from the tiller. Four bolts and the throttle cable were removed in about 5 minutes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6KCj1lYAMsPUQigBpn2sIfD8OvrYjiMwKlBrHoBLewSSsC_cnpRIgeIRvMA_yJu0_M6GjIELO1wO2psrojrJxDsv9TIt106hqvTurnDEf3BbvqDtjsXvcd1z3xwdechBbhggGXbg4TE/s1600-h/100_4543.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6KCj1lYAMsPUQigBpn2sIfD8OvrYjiMwKlBrHoBLewSSsC_cnpRIgeIRvMA_yJu0_M6GjIELO1wO2psrojrJxDsv9TIt106hqvTurnDEf3BbvqDtjsXvcd1z3xwdechBbhggGXbg4TE/s400/100_4543.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329109288980087090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The lower unit only needed a little de-greasing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3r_HJ-fm8WAV3BeeF7xw4pgJXWT74S6ls65rdNl6vjB-f_2Xk36q05lQ2tlGGp1DoEVyBgv7PrxHNAh1RjkhGYKZclaE7yQpF7tjmtaU0gB5YtVdvYiGymStuLd0E5bbh1mdb1UI2aE/s1600-h/100_4544.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3r_HJ-fm8WAV3BeeF7xw4pgJXWT74S6ls65rdNl6vjB-f_2Xk36q05lQ2tlGGp1DoEVyBgv7PrxHNAh1RjkhGYKZclaE7yQpF7tjmtaU0gB5YtVdvYiGymStuLd0E5bbh1mdb1UI2aE/s400/100_4544.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329109280296275010" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I had enough spare sheet metal laying around to do this, but most of my metal working tools are still packed up. This was a pretty simple job so I went with hand tools. Aviation snips, a 24" x 24" sheet of aluminum, a 3 pound mallet, and cordless drill is all I needed.<br /><br />The back end of the sheet was cut to fit over the frame and the sides were bent down. The aluminum bends easily, so I didn't have to use a metal brake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuibRa0vxrAOqzloB0Ktnm4e3WwzNwbM9SOUfFnbefpuFWaw3H6_C57zT-9RqZdkaatoOIT8KG2I5dIJ8h1F4oqIBcKqqUTj1BoUTcKaReZxud_OL89DltIryBWI6K4ICP3uIprnNW9zY/s1600-h/100_4546.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuibRa0vxrAOqzloB0Ktnm4e3WwzNwbM9SOUfFnbefpuFWaw3H6_C57zT-9RqZdkaatoOIT8KG2I5dIJ8h1F4oqIBcKqqUTj1BoUTcKaReZxud_OL89DltIryBWI6K4ICP3uIprnNW9zY/s400/100_4546.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329109282539856610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's probably wider than it needs to be, but I can easily trim it back later after I try it out for the first time. As it sits now it should easily keep me from getting covered in dirt. Total work time, about 90 minutes.<br /><br />The thin metal would benefit from a couple of beads being rolled into it, but it's not worth the effort right now until I get a chance to try it out.<br /><br />After mounting the engine it fired up on the 3rd pull. Life is good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifed_a5TB-ujm8HAZ2CitlYTgOnkwJn0DcR3aiQie8k8quVDKu__q9n8W0cvuQQbQcvXdNx9LKvpjTvhg50B_LCSHS0AQVHkY5JxHp3JsgpNmqa96p2GjDFfcRRdT1QPKDsJCIEWI2_7c/s1600-h/100_4549.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifed_a5TB-ujm8HAZ2CitlYTgOnkwJn0DcR3aiQie8k8quVDKu__q9n8W0cvuQQbQcvXdNx9LKvpjTvhg50B_LCSHS0AQVHkY5JxHp3JsgpNmqa96p2GjDFfcRRdT1QPKDsJCIEWI2_7c/s400/100_4549.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329109274943560962" border="0" /></a>Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-91273624425151049032009-04-26T09:29:00.000-07:002009-04-26T09:43:25.768-07:00Spring Gutter CleaningWe've had a lot of rain over the past few days, and it looks like it'll keep up for at least another day or two.<br /><br />Since we moved in there have been pretty regular "issues" with the downspouts, as they get a pretty good build-up of leaves and twigs which can block the flow and plug the downspout. Plugged downspouts lead to water coming in at the foundation, which has meant water getting into the basement.<br /><br />I took a little time when the rain stopped to go check the downspouts, and found that two of the four had some build-up. Neither was too bad, but one of them could have easily escalated to full blockage with a little more debris. <br /><br />Five minutes of work and they're all cleaned out and ready for more rain. I also found that one of the drain lines was ready to come disconnected, which would have let all the water drop straight down to the foundation. Probably from the kids playing around it, would be my guess.<br /><br />The blockage I get now is nowhere near as bad as it was last year thanks to the tree trimming I've been doing. Trees which were overhanging the house were cut back as much as possible, so now much of the junk ends up in the gutters thanks to the wind. I won't cut the trees back too much more, as they'll really start to look hacked up if I do that.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-70358168685252532082009-04-19T11:05:00.000-07:002009-04-19T11:09:42.296-07:00Taking Advantage of a Nice DayIt's been too long since I did any work in the garage. About all I've done in the past 8 months out there was making it messier. <br /><br />Took care of that today, and got things about half-way done.<br /><br />All the big stuff was pulled out and rearranged. I also broke out the leaf-blower and got all the old leaves and dust out.<br /><br />I still need to go through all the stuff on shelves and clean off the work bench so I can tune up the chainsaws and do some other work which wouldn't be appreciated on the kitchen table.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-62965841619802540342009-04-17T16:44:00.001-07:002009-04-17T17:07:17.397-07:00Yardwork FREEBIE!A few days ago a neighbor had an old table saw and rototiller out at the street, giving them away.<br /><br />The tiller found it's way to my garage, thanks to another neighbor who grabbed it for me. He talked to the folks giving it away, who said it was last used a few years ago and worked well then. Health problems led to it's dis-use.<br /><br />I figured if I could get it working it would be worth the price (free).<br /><br />Luckily, it was stored without gas, so there was no build-up in the carb. The air cleaner was damaged by mice, but they didn't get anything into the carb so I can run with it as-is. The throttle cable is shot and needs to be replaced, but works good enough for now. The plug was pulled and it looks good. I also confirmed that it was sparking when the starter was pulled.<br /><br />I put some fresh gas in and gave it a few dozen pulls and couldn't get it to even sputter. I wasn't sure if there was a problem with the carb, fuel line, or anywhere else, so I poured a few tablespoons of gas directly into the carb.<br /><br />Three pulls later and it fired up and quickly settled down into a smooth idle. I hit it with some engine degreaser and got it cleaned up so I can more easily give it a tune-up.<br /><br />It needs: an air filter, a drive belt, a throttle cable, an oil change, and maybe a new plug. Maybe $20.00 in parts and it should be ready to rock. No idea how old it is, but it's probably at least 25 years old. We'll see how it really works later this year, as I'm planning to do a small garden.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOssQMDDUdWlFn51Pv2pStW_bwIJif-KhpsqysljXo44O8g8qbVnE2jsMtErfmOZx14T4ejHpYwLPI3XYwfo03NacRaxWE5-lNzMPpBySesEh0O35vLgLInHrZPI18tMZbq_UzvLJmBG8/s1600-h/100_4536.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOssQMDDUdWlFn51Pv2pStW_bwIJif-KhpsqysljXo44O8g8qbVnE2jsMtErfmOZx14T4ejHpYwLPI3XYwfo03NacRaxWE5-lNzMPpBySesEh0O35vLgLInHrZPI18tMZbq_UzvLJmBG8/s400/100_4536.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325810576582397682" border="0" /></a>Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-69469055672181981852009-04-10T09:47:00.000-07:002009-04-10T10:10:35.195-07:00Meat - it's not Just for Breakfast Anymore"Vegetarian" is an American Indian word meaning "bad hunter".<br /><br />Recently I've been spending more time working on my BBQ recipes - pulled pork, ribs, etc. Not just thrown on the grill, but in a slow-cooking smoker, designed to cook the meat at a low temperature for upwards of 18 hours.<br /><br />Yum-diddiley-scrumptious!<br /><br />While looking at recipes and methods online I noticed a lot of information on grinding my own meat for sausage patties, brats, links, etc. This seemed like an interesting thing to try, because I like to make sausage patties for breakfast on the weekends, but they're always expensive (I'm cheap) and you're never quite sure what is in 'em.<br /><br />So I found a couple of promising recipes and picked up a meat grinder.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gxqVR-k2eISAXkmX_da2ASMwq9D0sMkKeWdpR73Fqwgqt9tJ1Xs3H4-AgCeL6Dmyr_zcdY8AdfZGo0Izu8zWUvrtkewuaLrgYBgUMlhYxlHoDGGchU8WH-NhQpI3gsTUqSTOFlqq4nU/s1600-h/100_4533.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gxqVR-k2eISAXkmX_da2ASMwq9D0sMkKeWdpR73Fqwgqt9tJ1Xs3H4-AgCeL6Dmyr_zcdY8AdfZGo0Izu8zWUvrtkewuaLrgYBgUMlhYxlHoDGGchU8WH-NhQpI3gsTUqSTOFlqq4nU/s400/100_4533.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323105480840171826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's the old-style crank, and not motorized. I figured if I like how they turn out and I start making and freezing the sausage I can always upgrade later on.<br /><br />After the first trial run, I'm surprised at how well it works and how good the sausage is. If I buy the meat in bulk it will cost me 30% less to make my own sausage and control the ingredients. I usually buy pork shoulder for $1.50 a pound in 14-18 pound bulk packages for making BBQ, so no problem there.<br /><br />The first batch I made is pork, salt, cayenne pepper, rubbed sage, black pepper, crushed red pepper, coriander, and Accent (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate">MSG</a>). No other preservatives, additives, finger nails, or fillers. Accent is the only semi-questionable ingredient, and I'm going to do some tests to see if it tastes the same without it. If so, it's gone, too. I'm also planning to experiment with how much fat is in the mix. Pork shoulder is very fatty, and ground sausage is usually very fatty too. If I can use less and still get good results, so much the better!<br /><br />First taste test confirmed that it's a very tasty recipe. The sausage patties aren't all perfectly round and even like the store-bought stuff, but who cares? It'll all look the same at the end of the day...<br /><br />I plan to try grinding my own hamburger soon. Those who have done so often swear by it, as you can control what cuts are used, the amount of fat, etc.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-6703907636809799722009-04-10T09:07:00.001-07:002009-04-10T09:29:54.850-07:00Garage Door MaintenanceSince we bought this place, the garage door has been a big pain in the ass. It never really opened or closed as well as it should. Over the past few months it's gotten to the point where the door won't open or close without help (me lifting or pushing down on it as it moves).<br /><br />Not knowing jack-sh1t about garage doors, I figured it was just binding up on the track somewhere, so I spent a couple hours screwing around with it trying to get it to work better. <br /><br />No luck.<br /><br />Finally I decided to just bite the bullet and call a professional. Scheduled appointment was today between 9 and 11 am. The tech calls at 8:30 asking if he can show up 15 minutes early.<br /><br />Hells yeah!<br /><br />Dude gets here and gets to work. First problem is that the rollers are all original to the door installation and are worn out, wobbly, and generally crappy.<br /><br />15 minutes later and he's got the original steel rollers replaced with non-steel (Plastic? Teflon? Space-age polymer? No idea...). The door moves much more quietly and with much less slop, but still doesn't open or close properly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEeEFoXYSqD_aXsT_dKvZf2SuYpjL_H5IfDJg-w_IKhiiDz5Jn3D9-A088GPNuzyqNCcuCj8sqIldiZZv0IWJfMwf5-p32q4HGubjZC69S7ikKbjmgXkx339cP0YobhNoFUrEiqzN0_A/s1600-h/100_4531.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEeEFoXYSqD_aXsT_dKvZf2SuYpjL_H5IfDJg-w_IKhiiDz5Jn3D9-A088GPNuzyqNCcuCj8sqIldiZZv0IWJfMwf5-p32q4HGubjZC69S7ikKbjmgXkx339cP0YobhNoFUrEiqzN0_A/s400/100_4531.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323095349525889586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>He adjusted the springs a number of times trying to get the left and right side to have the same tension. It got better and better, but still kept binding up. Then he noticed one of the pulleys was a little worn out. Worn out to the point where the bearings were shot and it was very hard to turn. It was hard to see when it was installed because the brackets holding it covered almost all of the center. The pulleys were the real problem.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMCAlGrdaLr2a1B-h8QYfX4MJsOCBRV9cXnPimFI3p-p_zG5-qD2e8uHy6Eu4UbB9CA6Cro7w7f-GcPR5COACy4c3j0Cywo0aAxm8GhCkq2UhZqDqmmHe5IK7rlWWeuGkmR9LRa2jFbY/s1600-h/100_4527.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMCAlGrdaLr2a1B-h8QYfX4MJsOCBRV9cXnPimFI3p-p_zG5-qD2e8uHy6Eu4UbB9CA6Cro7w7f-GcPR5COACy4c3j0Cywo0aAxm8GhCkq2UhZqDqmmHe5IK7rlWWeuGkmR9LRa2jFbY/s400/100_4527.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323095345492562498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />In go a pair of new pulleys and the door FINALLY opens and closes like it should. Quiet, smooth, and without extra effort.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAyH3ufKnhG5Co8E8kjeuOwQsi9vsPrWgtHNOAEeBLTB4RXqNZyYaZ5uqzpF3OWqHYgk1KKFyhkKyUtRwfjZETray_0b2nrWHiivT7jjGUq3OfKdV7ym69CB4CFiizNuCDn8I5mZ_C2A/s1600-h/100_4529.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAyH3ufKnhG5Co8E8kjeuOwQsi9vsPrWgtHNOAEeBLTB4RXqNZyYaZ5uqzpF3OWqHYgk1KKFyhkKyUtRwfjZETray_0b2nrWHiivT7jjGUq3OfKdV7ym69CB4CFiizNuCDn8I5mZ_C2A/s400/100_4529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323095347623285026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />None of what the guy did was rocket science, but if you don't know what to look for it's damn near impossible to guess your way through this job. Looking back at it now, I could have done the job myself IF I knew what to look for. This is one of those jobs where you pay the pros, watch what they do, and then do it yourself the next time.<br /><br />On the picture of the new roller you'll see a bunch of grease on the wheel. This is grease that the previous owner put on the track, which is a big no-no. Grease actually causes more problems than it solves. In the winter it gets hard (at least up here in the north) and it traps all kinds of dust and dirt, gumming up the track.<br /><br />After his work was done I sprayed the track with engine degreaser and wiped it clean. I love how quiet the door is now. The new rollers also come with a lifetime warranty, so if/when I ever install a new garage door they'll just use those rollers so I don't have to buy new ones. If I keep the receipt that long, that is...Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-47824621922331079752009-04-05T10:19:00.000-07:002009-04-05T10:40:04.692-07:00Installing a Microwave Over the StoveForgive me Father, it has been 3-1/2 months since my last post.<br /><br />It took that long to get over my renovation burn-out, I guess. Feels good to get back to work, since there is still so much left to do, and so much half-done.<br /><br />Something which has been bothering me longest is that I haven't installed the microwave above the stove yet. We're still using the little counter-top one we've had for years. It works, but it wastes counter top space. I bought it's replacement when I got the appliances after we moved in almost two years ago. Time to get it installed!<br /><br />First thing I needed to do was to cut a hole for the exhaust vent. I've had range hoods in the past that always just recirculated air back into the living space. Finally one that vents outside!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgft6ypdCdYaM0zOMaeFBQSnUE2eytV9b_1dH_eqR5vYqzMmz8ZIM34bi0QJS4kEkP8WRjDOK62m4EcwBm7q5xEjW487gbWidwp4TYJHcbKOrwoO01WJc268A4R1CjVt5uKZGVWDrt6qPg/s1600-h/100_4520.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgft6ypdCdYaM0zOMaeFBQSnUE2eytV9b_1dH_eqR5vYqzMmz8ZIM34bi0QJS4kEkP8WRjDOK62m4EcwBm7q5xEjW487gbWidwp4TYJHcbKOrwoO01WJc268A4R1CjVt5uKZGVWDrt6qPg/s400/100_4520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321258712219232866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />From below the hole is a little rough. Not a big deal, nobody will ever see it once the microwave is installed. Here you can also see the 4x4 blocking I added to drop the mounting hardware down a bit. The mounting screws that came with the microwave were 4" long metric threads, but I need 5-1/2" because I added a 4" spacer under my cabinet. Why? Because I mounted our cabinets 4" taller than normal and still wanted the microwave at it's "normal" height. No hardware stores around here carry longer mounting hardware, so this is "Plan B". It also lets me beef up the way it's installed - stronger than it would otherwise be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM0LLc1sAaWimR_aZuhl9_yJUxXljJVz7n3KZ2i4bKF_YUJFKDG_yUpRVWQ3qNeuxiaRWioMRRMcBZCg71boFe6aE9CJmZFA-xum6mxnaEVZY0Qf4DUi-l2rfCaAF-UMAHE0_5jba2cY/s1600-h/100_4523.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM0LLc1sAaWimR_aZuhl9_yJUxXljJVz7n3KZ2i4bKF_YUJFKDG_yUpRVWQ3qNeuxiaRWioMRRMcBZCg71boFe6aE9CJmZFA-xum6mxnaEVZY0Qf4DUi-l2rfCaAF-UMAHE0_5jba2cY/s400/100_4523.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321258720250853266" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Before I installed the cabinets, I installed an outlet on the wall for the microwave. I didn't know exactly where the cabinets were going to be, so I left some witness marks on the wall telling me how far up the outlet was located. The red ink tells me that the outlet is about 1" above the base of the cabinet. The black vertical line tells me where the wall stud is located, and the black horizontal line is the top edge of the microwave once it's installed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGlL7Gy0MuZ395qLItLWOjSFHPYqnz5UimjuPlktS9krlKgZS40kPuwl8fjR_vg_wgHzjHcOMzlA26Wa9Xqw8FA8r6Z3SB23YLgsGuSguqqP1lZ8QRUDxLLt0HF4z9kNrsW_6y7Uh7-c/s1600-h/100_4522.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGlL7Gy0MuZ395qLItLWOjSFHPYqnz5UimjuPlktS9krlKgZS40kPuwl8fjR_vg_wgHzjHcOMzlA26Wa9Xqw8FA8r6Z3SB23YLgsGuSguqqP1lZ8QRUDxLLt0HF4z9kNrsW_6y7Uh7-c/s400/100_4522.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321258720137668322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A test-install shows that everything fits and works properly. The 4" spacer above the microwave is actually kick-plate for the base cabinets. The metal piece above the microwave is for the venting. It converts the rectangular vent to a round tube (it's upside down in this picture).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB30UQ-SGant9LcitGuoyZqHyumSIX9gzT5y521MfyndnA7Popg5bW3ynqaeRJGkG31Zl5dEBe3ooaL_-7dOYFRCa4A2YdMT7WFSRwlBS0HvdqY7sqlmUt37s0AcPnbIYJJyLUJppL5hw/s1600-h/100_4521.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB30UQ-SGant9LcitGuoyZqHyumSIX9gzT5y521MfyndnA7Popg5bW3ynqaeRJGkG31Zl5dEBe3ooaL_-7dOYFRCa4A2YdMT7WFSRwlBS0HvdqY7sqlmUt37s0AcPnbIYJJyLUJppL5hw/s400/100_4521.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321258715742762434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Hopefully I finish up most of the install today. I want to finish all of it except for running the exhaust into the ceiling. I need to find out where the joists are so I can cut the holes.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-59540130287427654782008-12-20T16:07:00.000-08:002008-12-20T16:29:10.660-08:00White Death, December '08Sure, this isn't Denver or Buffalo, but we're getting our fair share of snow.<br /><br />Friday morning starting at around 1 am we got about 8" of snow before 8 am. By the end of the day it was around 11".<br /><br />The snowblower worked great, and it appears that the Loc-Tite did it's job. Damn, no new snowblower for me this year I guess....<br /><br />What really confuses me are the idiots who go out driving before the roads are cleaned up. Now not everybody out there is an idiot. I was out there while there was still no way to see the actual street. 6+ inches of snow in the intersections, etc. The idiots are the ones who go out un-prepared or poorly equipped.<br /><br />Like the people with their cars stuck in 6+ inches of snow in the turn lanes.<br /><br />The main roads are bad enough for cars, but to think that your car is going to make it through a tight low-speed turn with snow up past the frame? FAIL.<br /><br />A lot of the cars I saw on the roads were police, and some of those police cars were running tire chains, something I've never seen on police cars around here.<br /><br />I'm a different kind of idiot I guess, as I love driving in the snow. But since I drive a Jeep I have a little easier time getting through the snow. The only area I was even remotely concerned with was when I was trying to enter the remote parking lot at Best Buy before the lot was plowed. <br /><br />There was barely a path wider than the Jeep going in, and snow at least 8" high. There was also a big pile of snow to get through from the plow trucks clearing the street. A little extra gas and I got right through. <br /><br />On the way out, a guy was stuck in the same spot with what I assume to be a 2 wheel drive pickup (back wheels were spinning like mad, front wheels weren't moving at all). He was evidently an idiot.<br /><br />If your job is critical and you're needed, take your chances. Going shopping at Best Buy probably doesn't count as critical.<br /><br />Unless they've got a killer sale on HD TVs, that is.<br /><br />Tonight we're supposed to get another 5" or so.<br /><br />Yay...Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-65293104781357836072008-12-16T18:40:00.000-08:002008-12-16T19:03:59.742-08:00I Own the Snowblower from HellYeah yeah, I'm still alive.<br /><br />I know it's been months since my last post, but I've done pretty much jack-squat on the house since then, other than paint the bathroom.<br /><br />I've finally determined that my snow blower is the illegitimate love-child of Satan and Oprah. (I should probably disable comment posting as soon as I publish this).<br /><br />It's big, old, and heavy and I think I'm doomed to a lifetime of dealing with it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEaR9sva3fEy9HxNKiaTfPJJgY4tHnJiixw-2-0yhRg3Ae_QgcucqvpARy3mbW6nPl1Knd6DcHiKrEmsd4acYaHNQy7nd6V09GRTZKa4GIN6dKkFRTlI8X6L-3fSIbx42vckUD9f5RQs/s1600-h/100_2135.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEaR9sva3fEy9HxNKiaTfPJJgY4tHnJiixw-2-0yhRg3Ae_QgcucqvpARy3mbW6nPl1Knd6DcHiKrEmsd4acYaHNQy7nd6V09GRTZKa4GIN6dKkFRTlI8X6L-3fSIbx42vckUD9f5RQs/s400/100_2135.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280583583652609810" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But it DOES have cool tire chains!<br /><br />For years now I've been waiting for it to die so I can justify spending $700 on a new snow blower. But like the Energizer bunny on meth, this thing just won't quit.<br /><br />A week ago we had some snow so I fired it up. 2nd pull, as always, and it immediately settled down into a smooth idle. When I was about 80% done with clearing the drive it started to shake and make a loud banging sound, like somebody had thrown a frozen cat into the auger.<br /><br />Don't ask me how I know what that sounds like, I'm not sure what the statute of limitations is on that quite yet....<br /><br />I shut it down and found that the entire auger assembly (the spinning blades of death in the front) was lose and hanging at an odd angle.<br /><br />YAY! Time to get a new snow blower!<br /><br />Oh, wait, the bolt that holds the right side of the auger just fell out. And it's sitting 2' away from me on the driveway. Damn. 3 minutes and a 3/4" socket wrench later and it's back up and running.<br /><br />At least I didn't have to spend the money reserved for the kid's Christmas presents on a replacement.<br /><br />Today we're getting more snow so I broke it out again to take care of the first few inches of snow. Again, about 80% of the way through the work and it starts to run weird.<br /><br />This time it was idling poorly - revving up and down and generally running like crap. I thought it was running low on gas, but when I checked I found that I still had half a tank. I noticed that the shield covering the carb was wobbly, which is different because normally it's nice and tight. I thought it might just be a lose screw, but as I was moving the shield it I found that the engine ran better depending on how the shield was held.<br /><br />The entire carb was actually lose, and letting in additional air while letting out some of the gas intended for the engine. There are two screws which hold the carb in place, and both had worked themselves lose.<br /><br />A few minutes later I had it tightened up and it was running great. For about 5 minutes. The screws backed out pretty quickly and I was back to having to tighten 'em up again.<br /><br />This time I put some Loc-Tite on the screws to hold them in place. I'll know tomorrow if it'll hold. If not, maybe I'll finally get that new snow blower.....!<br /><br />Being somewhat mechanically inclined has really paid off though. Two problems that could have resulted in expensive trips to the shop with the snow blower were taken care of with about $.02 in Loc-Tite. <br /><br />Assuming that fixes the current problem. I'll know tomorrow when I fire it up and try it again.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-10396967273919097452008-09-28T13:44:00.001-07:002008-09-28T14:22:47.793-07:00Take Care of Your ToolHere's one that most people never think about. Shovel maintenance.<br /><br />Yes, maintenance for your shovels.<br /><br />As with other tools, if you take care of your tools they should last a lifetime. Unless you buy cheap crap, since you can't polish a turd. Well, you can, but a shiny turd isn't much better than a dull one.<br /><br />Below is the blade on my garden spade/shovel. You can see the edge of the blade is bent backwards, which creates resistance when trying to plunge the blade into your own skull after watching your NFL team blow it in the last few minutes of the game.<br /><br />After my headache was gone, I decided to do something about the blade. This bent-over edge was from the manufacturing process, and probably shouldn't have passed quality control. I noticed it after getting it home and using it, after it was too late to swap it out.<br /><br />Yeah, it's dirty. I'm not big on cleaning tools at 10 PM after burying pet hamsters in the garden...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiU3sd8js-0IC-flp5dCs3Bxv40S-xRP262-FnGOVUIMXdoGsZnfwhMHGO4VgJDlcuegE_PGIwGjOaRoBf8Wj2JiA5ARp346E4b3ri7UvDK7bxO5fijDa_gXB-38LU9hLBawEIQEHUx8/s1600-h/100_4391.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiU3sd8js-0IC-flp5dCs3Bxv40S-xRP262-FnGOVUIMXdoGsZnfwhMHGO4VgJDlcuegE_PGIwGjOaRoBf8Wj2JiA5ARp346E4b3ri7UvDK7bxO5fijDa_gXB-38LU9hLBawEIQEHUx8/s400/100_4391.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251176140219405634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />So as with sharpening the mower blades, out comes the <a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95578">Angle Grinder</a> with a sanding flap disc installed. Some people might cringe at spending $15-20 for a power tool like this, figuring you get what you pay for. Well, normally you do, and I'm all for spending more for quality tools. When it counts, that is. These grinders from HF have proven themselves to me.<br /><br />Realistically, how often will the average home-owner use an angle grinder, so why spend $75 for a good one? These cheap-o's from Harbor Freight are actually pretty decent quality. I currently own three of them, and have burned out at least 4 of them in the past 5 years doing some rather major metal fabrication. <br /><br />But if I burned out 4 of them how can I say they're decent? Because the 4 I burned out combined cost as much as one decent grinder, and with the work I was doing I'd have worn out even a higher-end grinder. Plus, I use three different discs; a sanding flap disc, a cut-off disc, and a metal grinding disc, so having one grinder dedicated to each task saves time & effort.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEncSXIw6r1du3OsLhRqM3pWfNxF47gZZF55U2fxNgk_3J4M3ECDoZLIL3U5lwaiYSAAa3Bo-HVqeyC5hzcCwKZa7AAbac5jxGomUDPNDUriGnWS_6SfY_cvo6T7stXm7Q9M636Qw2hs/s1600-h/100_4396.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEncSXIw6r1du3OsLhRqM3pWfNxF47gZZF55U2fxNgk_3J4M3ECDoZLIL3U5lwaiYSAAa3Bo-HVqeyC5hzcCwKZa7AAbac5jxGomUDPNDUriGnWS_6SfY_cvo6T7stXm7Q9M636Qw2hs/s400/100_4396.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251176137175113010" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />About 1 minute later the rolled edge is gone and the edge is reasonably-sharp. You can get the same results with a hand file and a little effort. I've got plenty of metal-working tools, so I might as well use 'em.<br /><br />The blade won't stay sharp for long, but when it comes to digging out plants a sharp blade will much more quickly cut through roots, making your work easier. The metal on this shovel is pretty thin so I just beveled from the back edge.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKXfdnoBKoNeKQFeYLCDgiGbvifsCBB6gVGErKAbuKElfNwUrPjugTbUH9zqo2HJ6ZkWzwU-KLB4sH2t595d0PjCctKCdwKus7WM5HHdMv6EqaO79WS-suYbjtK0bnHFKPQoUyR6zb94/s1600-h/100_4397.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKXfdnoBKoNeKQFeYLCDgiGbvifsCBB6gVGErKAbuKElfNwUrPjugTbUH9zqo2HJ6ZkWzwU-KLB4sH2t595d0PjCctKCdwKus7WM5HHdMv6EqaO79WS-suYbjtK0bnHFKPQoUyR6zb94/s400/100_4397.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251176132557001890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I gave the same treatment to another shovel, sharpening from the front and back since the metal on this blade is about 50% thicker than the other shovel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIInpB6Hp2D20RyoBoiFNGo7WahuqZDhLqgzwTBKgoLE3bPot_ftOU2J7wh833IrEd24mlbvwYt4dmjDrhTSLqUAC2FEAPLU_Qjtd9QMzuxAHuJoXwP0mK-ifRfPyxXe9zY_tqtZoHWzs/s1600-h/100_4398.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIInpB6Hp2D20RyoBoiFNGo7WahuqZDhLqgzwTBKgoLE3bPot_ftOU2J7wh833IrEd24mlbvwYt4dmjDrhTSLqUAC2FEAPLU_Qjtd9QMzuxAHuJoXwP0mK-ifRfPyxXe9zY_tqtZoHWzs/s400/100_4398.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251176124807495634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />After the edges were sharpened I took a wire brush and knocked the dirt off. A coat of oil then protects the bare metal from rust.<br /><br />I used to keep a 5 gallon bucket filled with sand in the garage. I dumped about a quart of old motor oil into it to thoroughly coat the sand. When I was done with a shovel I'd just jam the blade into the oily sand a few times to clean off the dirt and give it a coat of oil in one step. I didn't have room in the moving truck when we moved so I gave it to my neighbor. Some day I'll replace it.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-31283360653270789152008-09-27T13:31:00.000-07:002008-09-27T14:26:24.954-07:00Mower MaintenanceIf you want your mower to last and provide a good clean cut for years, you need to take care of it. That includes changing the oil and air filter. You also need to keep the mowing deck clean and the blade(s) sharp.<br /><br />I'll get around to changing the oil and air filter later this fall, but wanted to take advantage of a nice day to do the maintenance on the deck.<br /><br />First step was to get the mower up high enough to be able to get at the blades. I could have just jacked the back end up with my floor-jack, but figured that I might as well raise the front as well. Jack stands were placed under the front end to keep it level, the transmission was left in gear, and the brake was locked. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOvPUc7dtA9J-4hbX-UAsSeVostB-RFUW1LqwxsjXkkl9ak_68az3l79rXXOYJxososD0trIwgQ5fw4SmR7kHEhvyQ6LD1_vpDVLT4HhkEUDqszCapWk9NGdRynf_0rrVGf4YdODaBOY/s1600-h/100_4374.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOvPUc7dtA9J-4hbX-UAsSeVostB-RFUW1LqwxsjXkkl9ak_68az3l79rXXOYJxososD0trIwgQ5fw4SmR7kHEhvyQ6LD1_vpDVLT4HhkEUDqszCapWk9NGdRynf_0rrVGf4YdODaBOY/s400/100_4374.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250802048919264498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's been a year since I cleaned the deck - much longer than it should go without a proper cleaning. Cut grass builds up underneath, creating a block to the cut grass being discharged. It also traps moisture against the metal of the deck which can cause the deck to rust out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvOP8PMA4H4-vigb7WKpBlqSO-mqafCAnU4JOD7te3x4iMAeRpmg9Q7E6fQ4Ujl0nEYuourFyKRur2lJfhMn32rEA6w7IBxNK43hetAWFIb8O3MXwUTJqxWHoELqBHNx2aYxHt1t-HqI/s1600-h/100_4376.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvOP8PMA4H4-vigb7WKpBlqSO-mqafCAnU4JOD7te3x4iMAeRpmg9Q7E6fQ4Ujl0nEYuourFyKRur2lJfhMn32rEA6w7IBxNK43hetAWFIb8O3MXwUTJqxWHoELqBHNx2aYxHt1t-HqI/s400/100_4376.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250802048277864146" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I took a small scraper and got out all kinds of build-up, which should help the mower work a little more efficiently.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ6gcEpYoHKpd403sZOOtsx0qBEYXFwIQch8sIrem5ZGIvjpZz_JKt-_I6msRR5AEMFqsPuXpQ5FAZ1d44DJDBF9JhfEcFceVEnGJuiCa-JlXAEGEXVEMTf3PHRHhsNrAa5mMjVXoi34/s1600-h/100_4379.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ6gcEpYoHKpd403sZOOtsx0qBEYXFwIQch8sIrem5ZGIvjpZz_JKt-_I6msRR5AEMFqsPuXpQ5FAZ1d44DJDBF9JhfEcFceVEnGJuiCa-JlXAEGEXVEMTf3PHRHhsNrAa5mMjVXoi34/s400/100_4379.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250802045584608898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Next up was sharpening of the mower blades. I installed these right after buying the mower about 1-1/2 years ago. They're still in good shape, but the leading edge is getting a little dull. There were a few small dings from hitting either branches or pinecones.<br /><br />Each blade is held in place with one bolt. Be careful when removing a mower blade, as I've heard that some mowers use reverse-thread bolts. When you think you're loosening the bolt you could actually tightening it. These were standard threads.<br /><br />In many cases you can stick a piece of 2x4 between the blade and mower deck to keep the blade from moving when you are trying to break the bolt loose.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7fMd344p1AD04m1JzxD-TRJAeK7JoI1BM4FjBlGH6lc3IcBJZ6f_ViOcX0nSgu0Z78ClAojD9gqVjyAjt6_MKOnquHwzMUTIF7tXupTn-Lrsp9HuVSLd4EqNTt5ED3ewcKvizjWgwyM/s1600-h/100_4382.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7fMd344p1AD04m1JzxD-TRJAeK7JoI1BM4FjBlGH6lc3IcBJZ6f_ViOcX0nSgu0Z78ClAojD9gqVjyAjt6_MKOnquHwzMUTIF7tXupTn-Lrsp9HuVSLd4EqNTt5ED3ewcKvizjWgwyM/s400/100_4382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250801820101737986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The angle-grinder ($12.00 at Harbor Freight for a 4-1/2" grinder) was used with a sanding flap-disc to remove the grass build-up and to sharpen the blade. There was quite a bit of build-up on the blades, but the sanding disc took care of that quickly.<br /><br />You'd think that the blade should be sharp like a knife, but realistically, how long would that sharp blade last? I ground the blade sharp and then ran the sanding disc straight across the sharp edge to blunt it. The flat edge is about 1/32" wide.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjro6J309EH26Su0nZHchTv_6UrqIuOCXshucKJC83OSf4WEZeF-1Qy58qBSUkJdvjO3vYDXKmYsa9gta5vl43-_2JcNNdkms-TJ58DEhKUAUXRLWDrJDd0xtb-qSlbLFERlJFSH-aNQ/s1600-h/100_4385.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjro6J309EH26Su0nZHchTv_6UrqIuOCXshucKJC83OSf4WEZeF-1Qy58qBSUkJdvjO3vYDXKmYsa9gta5vl43-_2JcNNdkms-TJ58DEhKUAUXRLWDrJDd0xtb-qSlbLFERlJFSH-aNQ/s400/100_4385.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250801819852141330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />To make sure the blades were balanced I set them on a small nail driven into the garage wall. As long as the blade stays horizontal it's good enough. Yeah, it's low tech and not as precise as a professional shop could do, but it's good enough for now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAOb0XS_HT_L_tViSNq3_1FSQzmX_yqc89MGyOIm8xyJcCwOWgucns6PJfWbvkhmsb8MQVF84aOywUtRfaJo_wymT2t_g0VFjp2wMzjVxK7OEYBM2spTPNJlvdPKg-he7Q23WovJk6QY/s1600-h/100_4383.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAOb0XS_HT_L_tViSNq3_1FSQzmX_yqc89MGyOIm8xyJcCwOWgucns6PJfWbvkhmsb8MQVF84aOywUtRfaJo_wymT2t_g0VFjp2wMzjVxK7OEYBM2spTPNJlvdPKg-he7Q23WovJk6QY/s400/100_4383.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250801819514836386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />After re-installing the blades and checking for vibration (none), it was time to clean the engine.<br /><br />I changed the oil last year, but skipped cleaning the engine. I cleaned around the drain plug, but that's it. It's now dirty as the surrounding area. I sprayed on some engine cleaner and brushed it in with a cleaning brush.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78YJaey4lBvzMGDnfObHHSeg3A6pVchd5xlm2KMNgHCXtJYs1yy5o1HYifnZl-ISqOh3a72_7Sl2Speo4BQuK5cUsVQ5tzK8_XlZDncK0bp5B64lj0Md8b_Zg8rjfg6S8kjqxB0VJgmw/s1600-h/100_4387.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78YJaey4lBvzMGDnfObHHSeg3A6pVchd5xlm2KMNgHCXtJYs1yy5o1HYifnZl-ISqOh3a72_7Sl2Speo4BQuK5cUsVQ5tzK8_XlZDncK0bp5B64lj0Md8b_Zg8rjfg6S8kjqxB0VJgmw/s400/100_4387.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250801816363290450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A few minutes later the gunk sprayed right off and everything was nice and clean. It'll be possible to see if there are any oil leaks now, and the engine should be able to run a little cooler without a layer of gunk & grass coating it. If nothing else, it'll just make changing the oil a little easier.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrJB2CHc9yrPVlm-G10qeOf3pd5j662phtSlEuQcIPoaeNcd9LsiQ4MYhtR6LIOixE-xSovGPqcUTsF1A6-2Vlr5Uyb0fudee6qj5VOc7lbOQ3z3pa4_xxTgP-24g2iYHfd8oljzSCVQ/s1600-h/100_4388.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrJB2CHc9yrPVlm-G10qeOf3pd5j662phtSlEuQcIPoaeNcd9LsiQ4MYhtR6LIOixE-xSovGPqcUTsF1A6-2Vlr5Uyb0fudee6qj5VOc7lbOQ3z3pa4_xxTgP-24g2iYHfd8oljzSCVQ/s400/100_4388.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250801817642045170" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />This work took maybe 30 minutes and is something that the average do-it-yourselfer can do without a problem. The only tools I used were a scraper, a grinder, and a wrench. <br /><br />If you don't have a jack or ramps like I used, you could just tilt the tractor and put blocks under the raised wheels to give a little more access.<br /><br />Later this season I'll put some info online about getting the engines winterized.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-19021219442858192792008-09-20T16:13:00.000-07:002008-09-20T16:33:45.427-07:00Crud in the PipesNo, this isn't a medical condition.<br /><br />Since the dishwasher was installed the other day I noticed that the water flowing out of the kitchen faucet was slower than normal.<br /><br />At first I figured it was the new shut-off valve installed on the hot water line, which may not be allowing full water flow.<br /><br />But that shouldn't make the cold water line also flow more slowly, which was also happening.<br /><br />Other faucets in the house were fine, so it was just something wrong with the kitchen faucet.<br /><br />The fastest and easiest thing to check was the aerator (where the water exists the faucet) which just screws on & off. There is a screen inside there which traps debris.<br /><br />The screen in mine was covered with a ton of debris and rust from the water line, which was slowing the water flow for hot & cold. Basically, there was a crud build-up that was blocking water flow.<br /><br />The debris was probably dislodged in the pipes from the water being turned on & off during the dishwasher installation. The water was shut off to the house and faucets were opened upstairs and downstairs, draining the lines of water. When the water was turned back on, it knocked loose some junk that had built up in the lines, which got trapped in the aerator.<br /><br />Lucky for me I turned the faucet on first, which sent the crap to the faucet instead of to the dishwasher!<br /><br />Cheap, easy, and fast. The way I like my solutions.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-32857974739690530572008-09-18T19:22:00.000-07:002008-09-19T14:26:48.580-07:00I Will Wash Dishes by Hand No More ForeverSlightly modified quote by a famous leader. 10 points to the first person who knows what the hell I'm talking about.<br /><br />I didn't want to wait for the weekend to get the dishwasher installed, and I had a couple of free hours to kill this afternoon, so I gave it a shot.<br /><br />I cut out the guts of the lower cabinet and made sure there was plenty of room. Judging by the picture I've got more than enough!<br /><br />As mentioned previously, this is just a temporary installation, done on the cheap. I had the water supply line and most of the parts I needed, but did find that there were two special pieces that I had to go out and buy.<br /><br />First was a 90 degree elbow which fits into the bottom of the dish washer. Second was the splitter valve that connects to the water supply line. I could have gotten away without using the splitter valve, but then I'd have no hot water supply to the sink. Not the best solution.<br /><br />The electrical hookup is ultra-temporary. I don't know where the final electrical line will be run, so I took an old grounded extension cord and cut the end off. I spliced it into the wiring on the dishwasher and secured the wiring so it won't move around and chafe. I'll just plug it into the wall when I need to wash dishes for now. Half-ass yes, but it works.<br /><br />The blue protective layer is still on the outside in this picture, but the dishwasher has a stainless front.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxDRiNmwEODGlD13bZVarXe-6qX8a2FhWymGQmz4CNFTUC8tO0dm0SbEb9e3dfqVO_Oo8Gs__LWSYfpGmrKVRK9cjL7xeLYFdnaT6xr-6Zljg7QfahcFn-OxaRrk11duBO1l0w4CwxIY/s1600-h/100_4305.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxDRiNmwEODGlD13bZVarXe-6qX8a2FhWymGQmz4CNFTUC8tO0dm0SbEb9e3dfqVO_Oo8Gs__LWSYfpGmrKVRK9cjL7xeLYFdnaT6xr-6Zljg7QfahcFn-OxaRrk11duBO1l0w4CwxIY/s400/100_4305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247552614996637954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Under the sink you can see the new lines. Hooking into the drain, the big line that looks like it's coming from the middle of the sink is the dishwasher drain line which actually loops around a bit. The extra slack makes it look like it's coming from the center of the sink - it actually comes through the cabinet wall on the left up high to create an air gap.<br /><br />The black line down low is the water supply to the dishwasher. It connects to the gold splitter valve in the back of the cabinet.<br /><br />I had a small drip from the valve when I turned the water on, but a quick 1/4 turn and it looks good to go. No other leaks were found.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhei2DbSvZteBVRo0Pvlq-atBQ7LAMzQLOH0AteXbHRQuFfbGmCnpCoFhkYmOYRrlJTz0_k9ytgNPUfM0ZW3oGtR9KoADacNOJp6sJHzJ_rNdZxHUH6F1OMzuumezXdQfno9K2tpDKLWQE/s1600-h/100_4307.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhei2DbSvZteBVRo0Pvlq-atBQ7LAMzQLOH0AteXbHRQuFfbGmCnpCoFhkYmOYRrlJTz0_k9ytgNPUfM0ZW3oGtR9KoADacNOJp6sJHzJ_rNdZxHUH6F1OMzuumezXdQfno9K2tpDKLWQE/s400/100_4307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247552619273129938" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I put in a little dishwashing detergent and fired it up to clean it out and make sure it's working properly. So far, so good! I look forward to running a load through it tonight.<br /><br />Total cost, about $8.00 in parts that I needed to buy anyway.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-77464835032203604882008-09-16T14:53:00.000-07:002008-09-16T15:22:22.741-07:00Dishwasher Installation, On the CheapWhen we bought this house, it had never had a dishwasher installed.<br /><br />We figured that we could live without one for a year while the renovation work was taking place. In fact, we purchased the dishwasher when we bought the new appliances for the place right after moving in.<br /><br />It's sat in the box waiting to be installed ever since.<br /><br />The remodel work is progressing very slowly, as there is plenty to do outside, and I'm enjoying time with the family while it's nice out.<br /><br />But we're finally sick of doing dishes by hand and using paper plates half the time to avoid having to wash dishes every day.<br /><br />Plus, I'm sure we waste a lot more water washing them by hand compared to what a new dishwasher would use.<br /><br />The problem is that the dishwasher will be installed on the side of the kitchen which I haven't started work on yet, so there are cabinet doors and drawers and a wide base cabinet where the dishwasher is going to go.<br /><br />To make things difficult, I'm cheap. Some call it "frugal", but I will admit to being cheap. I hate to spend money on renovation stuff if I know I'll just be tearing out the work and re-doing it later.<br /><br />The project: install a dishwasher while spending NO money for parts. None. I can only use parts I already have on-hand, even if it means an ugly install. It's meant as a temporary install, so I'm not aiming for "pretty". Lucky for me I have a good selection of parts on hand from previous work. Hopefully enough to pull this off.<br /><br />At this point, I know I'll be re-using the dishwasher, but don't know exactly where water or electrical lines will be run. I also don't have a garbage disposal installed yet (dishwasher discharge lines typically connect to the disposal) so I'll need to tie in to the sink drain directly.<br /><br />Since the lower cabinet is wider than the dishwasher needs, I plan to use a trusty saws-all to cut out the wood I don't need, and leave about 1/3 of a door on the hinges to hide the gap that used to be cabinet. It'll make more sense when I start the work and take pictures. Promise.<br /><br />The drain line is easy, although I'll be installing it without an air-gap for now. When I do the work for keeps I'll put that in place. Electrical will be temporary hook-up as well - enough to make it function safely for now.<br /><br />Over the next few days I'll need to go through my supplies and get everything together. I want to install the dishwasher this weekend. The only items I'm not sure how I'm going to handle yet are the splitter for the water supply and the drain line. The drain isn't high-pressure, so I'll use garden hose if needed. The supply IS high-pressure so I'm hoping I have a long enough stainless braided line.<br /><br />Game on!Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-78623733340164901902008-09-14T09:31:00.000-07:002008-09-14T09:41:18.684-07:00Happiness Is...Much needed rain,<br /><br />Cleaned gutters and downspouts before said rain,<br /><br />The wife and kids out of the house for at least one of the games (Dad, who's #12? Dad, who's #88? Dad, who's #72? Dad, who are the guys in the blue shirts? Dad, can we watch cartoons? Dad, when is the game over? Dad, will you unlock the basement door so we can get out?),<br /><br />A plasma TV,<br /><br />Having the two games I want to watch playing back to back.<br /><br />Quality jerseys to watch the game in, although the GB #4 jersey is retired and will be replaced for GB games with #50 AJ Hawk.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8SMMRZ4kfD3_Mz6NFH57pN_64BUAU3eyhWZxbEplPqXtClQzPNk9y4jNqzInDZaqVmFrSdsWqm7NBeNjiW4E11UTC8FzKmG0GPG9yhV7XLyuZ9V01fLZNjysxjnztSuBnmm19tjCxHM/s1600-h/100_4300.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8SMMRZ4kfD3_Mz6NFH57pN_64BUAU3eyhWZxbEplPqXtClQzPNk9y4jNqzInDZaqVmFrSdsWqm7NBeNjiW4E11UTC8FzKmG0GPG9yhV7XLyuZ9V01fLZNjysxjnztSuBnmm19tjCxHM/s400/100_4300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245916116521716754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I love the feel of quality jerseys - sewn on letters and numbers, heavy-weight fabric, etc. Well worth the extra cost, in my opinion.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-9524355968382804852008-09-08T11:40:00.000-07:002008-09-09T15:14:09.921-07:00Aggrivation!This isn't related to the house work, so deal with it. If it makes you feel better, remove the name Microsoft and replace it with Home Depot. Where I say Xbox insert the words cordless drill. There, now it's about house work.<br /><br /><br /><br />Microsoft sucks. There, I said it and feel better already. They suck suck suck suck suck suck suck.<br /><br />About a year after it first came out I purchased the Microsoft Xbox. It died shortly after the warranty ran out (isn't that always the case?).<br /><br />I figured it was just a fluke, and since I had a bunch of games for it already I purchased another one to replace it.<br /><br />That one worked fine, and eventually ended up in storage because games weren't being made for it any more, due to the new Xbox 360 coming out.<br /><br />So about a year after the 360 comes out, I get one because it has the games I want to play and because it will also play my old Xbox games.<br /><br />Until today.<br /><br />It's dead now, too. Xbox owners are all too familiar with the term "red ring of death".<br /><br />This time it died with 2 months of warranty left, so Uncle Bill at Microsoft gets to pay shipping both ways and pay to fix/replace the counsel.<br /><br />Surprisingly enough, that's not what really bugs me. The thing I'm irritated about is the tech support system at Microsoft.<br /><br />The first thing callers are subjected to is a computerized "person". "Hey, my name is Max, thanks for calling!" Gee, thanks crappy computer program, thanks should go to Microsoft for selling me a crappy product, leading me to get to deal with you...<br /><br />The sound quality of the "dude" I eventually got to talk to (after "Max" failed to help me) was pretty horrible. I'm assuming he's either somewhere So Cal or he's doing a great job at disguising his Indian accent. The sound was so bad I had to turn the volume on my phone way down to keep it from distorting, but then I had a hard time hearing the guy.<br /><br />Plus, the music on hold was some techno-crap, which was also heavily distorted. The distortion may have made it more tolerable, I'm still not sure... He kept apologizing for putting me on hold - he must know what I was forced to listen to.<br /><br />The call dragged on an extra 10 minutes because he had a hell of a time trying to get my address to work in his system. Waukesha County uses a grid system for the streets, such as N85 W20345 Oakdale Drive (not my actual address, you stalkers), which tells you <span style="font-style: italic;">exactly</span> where you are, even if you don't know the street name. The addresses are weird, but very useful if you spend 3 minutes trying to figure 'em out.<br /><br />I can't blame him for the address issue. Finding an address like this in Mapquest or other online map programs is often a lesson in futility.<br /><br />With all that said, I understand technology can be problematic. But 5 years down the line a company like Microsoft still putting out crap quality products? Amazing.<br /><br />I think it's safe to say this is the last game system I buy from Microsoft. 2 out of 3 going bad indicates a bit of a problem.<br /><br />Damn technology. When I'm Emperor, companies will be forced to provide QUALITY phone support, and any CEO who uses a "Max" for support line will be sodomized with a roadcone and 2x4.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-4465853893491097062008-09-06T12:24:00.000-07:002008-09-06T15:42:28.782-07:00This "Work" Thing is Starting to Get OldSome more tree trimming was on today's schedule. Now both trees on the side of my house are much cleaner looking, and I'm able to get much more light to the ground. There is a lot of moss back there which I don't think will survive much longer.<br /><br />From the road, the side of the house looks a lot lighter physically now, without all the visual weight from the trees.<br /><br />Each of the two trees resulted in a full trailer full of branches which were taken to the recycling yard to be ground up for mulch. It's still kind of scrubby looking at ground level, as I need to get all the old pine cones raked up and cut all the little weeds and crap that had been trying to grow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ldOLhyphenhyphenePKIFBg3f-xYlPlLvtUo0oOmBOA5euIwzZfrAD5AFZpgtOb86Ywrh3EPj4jbrLpSMwKefpxAALhib1ob9brCANftleBXCjLGIoKn0nbxxG_rB9Dds4fyDIlWWQsys-_FA8pIo/s1600-h/100_4293.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ldOLhyphenhyphenePKIFBg3f-xYlPlLvtUo0oOmBOA5euIwzZfrAD5AFZpgtOb86Ywrh3EPj4jbrLpSMwKefpxAALhib1ob9brCANftleBXCjLGIoKn0nbxxG_rB9Dds4fyDIlWWQsys-_FA8pIo/s400/100_4293.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242991499017783554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Over the next few weeks I plan to do a lot more cutting & pruning. Might as well make full use of the trailer while I have it! I want to get all the trees near the house trimmed back so there is nothing overhanging the gutters. Clogged gutters suck.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-77772626843028092112008-09-04T15:37:00.000-07:002008-09-04T15:47:05.256-07:00Check Your Gutters, Folks!Not just on a sunny day, and don't forget to check the downspouts, too!<br /><br />We're finally getting some rain, after about a month of beautiful dry weather. <br /><br />Being the anal-retentive home owner that I am, I took a quick walk in the rain to make sure water was only coming out of all the downspouts. In heavier rains, it doesn't take much to clog a gutter. I know this first-hand, and have had the water in the basement to prove it.<br /><br />Upon checking the downspout by the tree I recently did a bunch of trimming on, I noticed that the downspout (which drains directly under the tree) wasn't draining any water. None. Zero.<br /><br />The other downspouts had a little trickle coming from them, so I knew something was up. <br /><br />Evidently, when I was pulling the cut branches out from under the tree I disconnected the downspout from the vertical run that goes up to the gutter. When it was re-connected, it was put on upside down which left a 1/2" gap in the bottom (hard to explain, but trust me) that all the water was pouring out. Right up against the foundation.<br /><br />Not good, if the rain were to continue for too long.<br /><br />5 seconds later and it was fixed.<br /><br />No damage, but if I didn't notice it and it was left this way too long during a storm I could have ended up with a lot of water in the basement.<br /><br />Moral of the story: check the gutters AND the downspouts. Not only when it's nice out, but when it rains, 'cause that's when you'll notice if it's working or not.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-11445412900310214562008-09-01T11:58:00.000-07:002008-09-01T12:53:21.267-07:00Taking My Own AdviceSo not too long ago I was blathering on about chainsaw maintenance and not leaving gas/oil mix in the gas tank because it goes bad quickly enough to damage the little 2-stroke engines. <br /><br />This afternoon I realized that my weed wacker and leaf blower have been sitting with the same gas/oil mix I put in at least 3 months ago. The leaf blower doesn't see a lot of use, and that gas may be even older. Not a good idea.<br /><br />To be safe, I drained the gas from both tanks and put in enough fresh mix to fire 'em up. I let them run long enough to warm up completely and flush out any old gas, and then drained the tanks. They were then started again to run through any remaining gas in the lines. My plan is to drain the tanks and run them dry every time I use them from now on. In theory, this <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> help avoid getting a varnish build-up in the carburetors. The weed-wacker has been good to me so far. It's at least 10 years old and has never needed service. The leaf blower is only about 3 years old and still runs great (as it should).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vs3JWp8Kk-EL0LUnUJsJCKibCfsgfv_SrYdmJLBDlvoLVLX0TbgLnFqzL4pZekcmsPjxD-EcYGu1ElPAxYCAeDoAeEnIRsWnGyCOkEtp4cdS-9q824w_jRxR6LuLNtkbyoWCzCMrR8E/s1600-h/100_4285.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vs3JWp8Kk-EL0LUnUJsJCKibCfsgfv_SrYdmJLBDlvoLVLX0TbgLnFqzL4pZekcmsPjxD-EcYGu1ElPAxYCAeDoAeEnIRsWnGyCOkEtp4cdS-9q824w_jRxR6LuLNtkbyoWCzCMrR8E/s400/100_4285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241129541755526546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Since I was showing some lovin' to the 2-strokes, I decided to also check out the 4-strokes on the push mower and the riding mower, by checking oil, air filter condition, etc. The push mower gets very limited use and mainly sees duty mowing the ditch - it's too steep of an angle to be safe on the rider. I might run one full tank of gas through it during the entire mowing season.<br /><br />All of the motors are in good shape for the remainder of this season, but I'm making a list of spark plugs, air filters, crankcase oil, bar chain oil, and gas pre-mix oil for my next trip to Menards. I want to have everything on-hand to do all of the tune-ups this Fall. If I wait until Spring I might just keep putting it off.<br /><br />It's early to talk about winterizing engines, but I do have a list to follow. <br />1. The engines will be started and warmed up to make sure they run properly. <br />2. All gas will then be drained and the engine started to burn off gas remaining in the lines. <br />3. After the engine cools down I'll pull the spark plug and put in a little squirt of oil. <br />4. With the plug out and the kill-swith in the "OFF" position, slowly pull through about two cycles to fully coat the cylinder. <br />5. In goes the new plug and the engine is ready to hibernate for the winter. <br />6. The three chainsaws get their blades removed and taken in for a professional sharpening. <br />7. The sharpened blades get stored in a can of oil.<br />8. The chain bars get cleaned, coated with oil, and warpped in newspaper.<br />9. The 4-cycle mower engines get gas drained and oil changed.<br />10. Air filters get replaced on the mowers and chainsaws.<br />11. Mower blades get removed and sharpened.<br /><br />All that stuff will probably cost me $30.00 in parts and will hopefully keep my motors happy for another season of abuse. It'll probably take about 2 hours to do all the work. I can take a small TV out into the garage to watch a Packer game and be done before the game ends.<br /><br />Some people fill the gas tanks on the mowers with gas mixed with a fuel stabilizer for winter. Since all of the gas tanks on mine are plastic, I think I'm better off leaving the tanks empty. My snowblower has a metal tank which is kept full at all times, even during the summer. The reason is that the metal rusts if it gets a chance, and an empty metal tank can get moisture in it from the air, leading to a rusty tank. I've seen it on motorcycles stored with empty tanks, so I have to assume it could happen on a snowblower.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzB03XoBpfnq2N0VtkXGScFJDcvww4dbkcQVgVOwqlMqwvXjU11OLK6h9R_VS7vV-xMmXAbLFs0Ks04GI562wPBsCkx6ubHqwvRoCYQxKfS4eVfF9Qn_pa1rKb3_cn_5JvJmPuvT4M5Q/s1600-h/100_4288.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzB03XoBpfnq2N0VtkXGScFJDcvww4dbkcQVgVOwqlMqwvXjU11OLK6h9R_VS7vV-xMmXAbLFs0Ks04GI562wPBsCkx6ubHqwvRoCYQxKfS4eVfF9Qn_pa1rKb3_cn_5JvJmPuvT4M5Q/s400/100_4288.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241129539596495762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Changing subjects, a while back I mentioned the weird design of my windows - the windows original to the house. Besides never having had the trim work painted (THANK YOU, previous owners!), the top panes are hinged. To open 'em, I remove the screen from the lower pane and then flip a little lock on each side.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TEeq4qXhyPF9MqwYiwQ1BZyvZjoJ6y3eKsWezi6ZHzMZRAZGTiHJVrZ1-iijPEbhZGhPDeOsIqUMFKo5xXIqqZjm3t1DtfgTbFyhg5adPu5adt0AdZXeFhXIt3-PEYLRrakCiWv7qMY/s1600-h/100_4279.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TEeq4qXhyPF9MqwYiwQ1BZyvZjoJ6y3eKsWezi6ZHzMZRAZGTiHJVrZ1-iijPEbhZGhPDeOsIqUMFKo5xXIqqZjm3t1DtfgTbFyhg5adPu5adt0AdZXeFhXIt3-PEYLRrakCiWv7qMY/s400/100_4279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241129705700297122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The whole top pane then is pushed open as shown below. The only reason I can think of for this design is that it might allow warmer air closer to the ceiling an easier way to get out in the summer. It doesn't make the windows easier to clean by any means, so that's not it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKKYT3YFk52JiqadGEhGng9dz6xMauFMm4xsqW8yQ_gr66ooXaVFLd2N1AXJebqmjDfDbB4XJKCH_OM5FaQlamwvQem7rhHHvoFx2JEzEz9uD52jyWQAKJJ6_5HoA784xDh4NVO6kL4s/s1600-h/100_4281.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKKYT3YFk52JiqadGEhGng9dz6xMauFMm4xsqW8yQ_gr66ooXaVFLd2N1AXJebqmjDfDbB4XJKCH_OM5FaQlamwvQem7rhHHvoFx2JEzEz9uD52jyWQAKJJ6_5HoA784xDh4NVO6kL4s/s400/100_4281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241129704051119074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />With the top hinged out I can then open the lower pane if desired. Maybe this helps air circulate? If the top window is open the screen is useless as it has to be removed to open the top window. If the bugs are out in force (welcome to Wisconsin) opening the top window is kind of useless because the house will be swarmed with bugs.<br /><br />The more I look at these windows, the more I think I want to keep them. They're a weird design, but they're all solid. They also have two panes of glass so they're reasonably efficient for their age. I figure I can remove them one at a time to completely clean 'em, scrape and loose paint, sand 'em, and re-glaze 'em. A few of them need new glass which I can cut to fit myself. Doing one window per weekend as time permits in Spring and Fall might take a couple of years, but at least they're in good enough shape now that they can wait.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLe9hxQFlUZ5tCnynsh9WYTtIA-qCy5ayl4LIT7lwuuxnbKuz212eO7A6IVNP4BQTDNSNksWfguwjDxV49IhIofAWRPJj8BJa7vtbq_VEZZBOSvSfBInbrMpz_ZbQAtq3PxZ6CT7pyXw/s1600-h/100_4283.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLe9hxQFlUZ5tCnynsh9WYTtIA-qCy5ayl4LIT7lwuuxnbKuz212eO7A6IVNP4BQTDNSNksWfguwjDxV49IhIofAWRPJj8BJa7vtbq_VEZZBOSvSfBInbrMpz_ZbQAtq3PxZ6CT7pyXw/s400/100_4283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241129547238102066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Last for the day, I put the boy character to work helping me clean up under the tree I was cutting on a few days ago. We ended up with 6 boxes of pine cones, small branches, and needles. I'll take it to the yard waste recycling station next weekend. This trailer was filled twice, just with junk from the ground.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoD8DFHzGVs-LrygCqEE_X1JERPCXDaiQvzNEJb16d_cDRPFdM9RHKvpxXmPkVRwO2CnDkpfh3_TlwpyM_yjVO2Y7nKOrfmx0Z9KjwSOkdmAhfK3jVW17fqidoB4eLFvk1orplKtizBU/s1600-h/100_4284.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoD8DFHzGVs-LrygCqEE_X1JERPCXDaiQvzNEJb16d_cDRPFdM9RHKvpxXmPkVRwO2CnDkpfh3_TlwpyM_yjVO2Y7nKOrfmx0Z9KjwSOkdmAhfK3jVW17fqidoB4eLFvk1orplKtizBU/s400/100_4284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241129543403729394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I'm much happier with the cleaned up tree now. The big thing next spring will be to find ground cover plans that like living under pine trees. A lot of plants won't grow there because of the soil acidity. I'm planning on covering the area beneath this tree and the one behind it, and extending that planting all the way up to the house (just to the left in this picture). It's all scrubby looking and crappy right now due to the lack of light. Only weeds and really thin spots of grass have been growing there for the past decade, and a lot of the area is just dirt, which does nothing to help shed water away from the house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTy0PrpNAKJDLG9MWZyeB5sNJDjc4XAzluq6jMjxEyJM_0d42MwNv5BMJrGjIgfhIoyonqNiGtM-v2_fLaF2_isW7bZnPAugzQOSV2XYLZ0xRljTdb5OKQdwsMpTgkkvL34nb2q2WgDAo/s1600-h/100_4289.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTy0PrpNAKJDLG9MWZyeB5sNJDjc4XAzluq6jMjxEyJM_0d42MwNv5BMJrGjIgfhIoyonqNiGtM-v2_fLaF2_isW7bZnPAugzQOSV2XYLZ0xRljTdb5OKQdwsMpTgkkvL34nb2q2WgDAo/s400/100_4289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241129537091307522" border="0" /></a>Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-22953689867079263512008-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:002008-08-31T08:54:06.339-07:00Revisiting My Favorite Past PostA year ago I <a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/08/flip-this-house-san-antonio-scumbags.html">posted my opinion</a> about the ethics and business practices of one of the Flip This House companies. Checking out which of my pages get the most viewings, this one is always at the top of the list along with people searching for Ikea cabinet information.<br /><br />This morning I re-read the post for the fun of it, and then looked at the comments. To start, here is the unedited post:<br /><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title"> <a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/08/flip-this-house-san-antonio-scumbags.html"></a></h3><blockquote><h3 class="post-title entry-title"><a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/08/flip-this-house-san-antonio-scumbags.html">A&E's Flip This House, San Antonio Scumbags</a> </h3> First, let me say that I have less than zero respect for that raging piece of crap Armando and how he conducts business. With that said:<br /><br />This week's episode (and I don't know if it was a rerun or not) had the previously mentioned shit-bag flipping a house which should have been condemned and bulldozed. It was filled with cat crap, rats, roaches, debris, etc. Just plain freakin' horrible. Bad enough that the neighbors called the police due to the smell.<br /><br />Well, Armando figures he can just clean out the garbage and paint using some odor-neutralizing paint and he's good to go. Typical cheap-ass-don't-worry-about-who-may-actually-end-up-living-here-in-the-future attitude from him. His brother had the balls to quit on him so he wouldn't have his name on that project. Good for him.<br /><br />As they get deeper and deeper into the flip, they end up having to replace drywall, plumbing, etc., all of which cost this cheap SOB plenty more than he expected. Since all he seems to care about is money, this made the episode fun to watch. I mean seriously, how could anybody with even a small slice of intelligence walk into a house that is literally caked in cat crap, urine, and worse, and figure that it's NOT going to cost a ton to clean it up <span style="font-weight: bold;">correctly</span>? Better yet, how could anybody figure the house could even be <span style="font-style: italic;">saved</span>?<br /><br />I am amazed at how he can disregard the potential health-issues like this. To my knowledge, they didn't remove any subfloors on the place (they could have been concrete, but they didn't really show). The odor-blocking paint probably helps, but that only covers the surface - the problem is that the urine is soaked into the wood. Anybody who dislikes cats (like me) knows how bad cat piss smells and how difficult it is to fully remove from a house - especially when it's hot & humid. Last I checked, Texas gets that way occasionally.<br /><br />The condo I renovated a few years ago (<a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/07/you-think-you-got-it-bad-part-1.html">here</a>, <a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/07/you-think-youve-got-it-bad-part-2.html">here</a>, <a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/07/sorry-about-crappy-picture-quality.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/07/you-think-youve-got-it-bad-part-4.html">here</a>) had a cat-piss problem, but it luckily localized in one area which we could daily wash with bleach. After a dozen washings it got a heavy coat of primer and paint. All molding was removed and replaced. New carpet tack-strips, padding, and carpet was installed over the concrete floor too, and we could still very faintly smell the piss if we got right down on the floor.<br /><br />At the end of the show, they accepted an offer on the place from a lady with two young kids. I was happy to see that the sale fell through. She had two freakin' kids and they were going to sell her this polished-turd of a house. Nice ethics you got there, Armando - it looks like they've never been used. Shit-bags like you who are only interested in making money have a special layer of hell reserved just for you. </blockquote><br />I don't know if linking directly to one of the comments will work, so I'll just quote it here:<br /><dl id="comments-block"><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"><a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/08/flip-this-house-san-antonio-scumbags.html?showComment=1208842140000#c6272941679783169357" title="comment permalink"></a></span></dd><blockquote><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"><a href="http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2007/08/flip-this-house-san-antonio-scumbags.html?showComment=1208842140000#c6272941679783169357" title="comment permalink">April 21, 2008 10:29 PM </a> <span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1790465031"> <a href="delete-comment.g?blogID=3827437275184158303&postID=6272941679783169357" title="Delete Comment"> <img src="img/icon_delete13.gif" /> </a> </span> </span> </dd><dt class="comment-author anon-comment-icon" id="c5256849394058736928"> <a name="c5256849394058736928"></a> Nina Erdos said... </dt><dd class="comment-body"> <p>You're an attention whore. What about the people who did this to the house or the owners who left it this way? At least Armando took on the project and in the end it was 8 million times better than the disgusting abandoned crap it once was.<br /><br />Why spend so much energy hating someone based on an edited TV portrayal? This is a country founded and built on capitalism, yet someone who improved a neighborhood and is earning money as a result of it is chastised. Did you renovate your cat house for free?<br /><br />Get off of your ridiculous high horses and get a life.</p></dd></blockquote><dd class="comment-body"><p></p> </dd></dl><br />My response? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! You delusional moron. People that let their own house get destroyed are not the issue. It's their house to destroy, and when it goes up for sale, buyers know what they're getting. Armando did every thing he could to hide the problem - a problem that will very likely NEVER go away and will remain a health hazard for future owners. That house should have been razed.<br /><br />Regarding this being a country founded and built on capitalism, does that mean people should not have ethics with regards to how they do business? Is the only goal money? For some people, it evidently is. And I'm sure that A&E went out of their way to only show the bad side of Armando - yeah, blame it on editing. A turd is a turd, no matter which side of it you look at.<br /><br />As for me renovating my "cat house" for free, of course I didn't do it for free. I actually renovated it for my dad (who owned it as a rental for about a decade) for a share in the profit. Why? Because I knew if the work wasn't done he was only going to get people low-balling him on price, because the place was left a dump by the tenants. That meant I earned a whopping $6,000 for 6 months of part time work. That covered clean up, demo, building, and working with the Realtor to finally sell it. It was done knowing full-well that nobody was going to get rich on the sale, as that was not the goal.<br /><br />If you consider that being on a high horse, you must be related to Armando and as fvcked in the head as he is.<br /><br /><br />* The opinions and comments above are those of "Muskego Jeff", and probably irritate scum bags with low moral standards and no business and personal ethics.<br /><br />I really should go back and read old comments like this more often. This idiot just gave me 15 minutes of joy, laughing at somebody actually defending that waste of a zygote Armando.Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827437275184158303.post-2977393738666042442008-08-30T13:07:00.000-07:002008-08-30T13:35:53.621-07:00I Saw, Therefore I AmOne one corner of the house I've had an extremely large evergreen that I've wanted to cut down since we moved here. It's huge, drops a ton of pine cones, and makes a perfect home for varmints under it's lower branches because they lay directly on the ground. It's also a pain in the ass to mow around.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I'm the only one who wants it gone - my wife likes it as it provides shade for one of our bedroom windows. Therefore, I'm outvoted and the tree stays. But that doesn't mean I can't at least make it look better.<br /><br />Since my smaller saw got to come out and play at my dad's house a few weeks ago, I figured it was time to break out the larger one this time around. It's best to not just let chainsaws sit forever without use. This saw is only about a year old, and since it's not an expensive brand I don't expect it to run nearly as long as my old Homelite has. Either way, it really runs well and made short work on the pine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP17-kIbT6Ov00SJ0JsrKMgPemb5zbE8o2ex1LOAIjrQ6GqM_T4YeuKpHDiymdzEZQgIkcroE0ZucPNF-_NX33W_WiDki5wTW2U8-DZGxNP2YbtX_OPKVn7rVg5nfy-wmUccjI2OuQaYE/s1600-h/100_4274.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP17-kIbT6Ov00SJ0JsrKMgPemb5zbE8o2ex1LOAIjrQ6GqM_T4YeuKpHDiymdzEZQgIkcroE0ZucPNF-_NX33W_WiDki5wTW2U8-DZGxNP2YbtX_OPKVn7rVg5nfy-wmUccjI2OuQaYE/s400/100_4274.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240406123678874930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here's the tree with the lower branches removed. I still need to go in with a hand pruner and take care of some of the remaining low-hanging branches. I also need to get in there with a rake and remove about three decades of pinecones and needles. I may put woodchips under it to clean it up a bit, but the pine needles may look good enough on their own.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cUtYC5j1y99hOQrDgAlzKZRqjgs5IHgZAQLbXFtijRgaOPse89aWUmO0eSEIQ9_ETcOSVUiCVt_9Bxp20M5FIY7AAi-FNrzCUfTK2Hl4JG5QDu29siqIzyFtWdkZ92BnE_p0d3IGL_0/s1600-h/100_4276.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cUtYC5j1y99hOQrDgAlzKZRqjgs5IHgZAQLbXFtijRgaOPse89aWUmO0eSEIQ9_ETcOSVUiCVt_9Bxp20M5FIY7AAi-FNrzCUfTK2Hl4JG5QDu29siqIzyFtWdkZ92BnE_p0d3IGL_0/s400/100_4276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240406124330534402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />My dad is storing his truck & trailer at my house while he's away on a trip, so I'm making the best of it and putting 'em both to use. I got everything cut off the tree loaded into the trailer, and it's a very full load.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMwPCD_O0dfD9RR11Vm7hpx6U4vWDMjOjU9S6Vdi8kn4qN8R-MTJGhiDXgs81rhiTIj7yXOZn1r0tDQ1J16Lc5GLaNwa8rHuA_SVHdmQsZRRZgjP7Q_Jdx0xwYWROhioBvvrmOENjkq8/s1600-h/100_4272.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMwPCD_O0dfD9RR11Vm7hpx6U4vWDMjOjU9S6Vdi8kn4qN8R-MTJGhiDXgs81rhiTIj7yXOZn1r0tDQ1J16Lc5GLaNwa8rHuA_SVHdmQsZRRZgjP7Q_Jdx0xwYWROhioBvvrmOENjkq8/s400/100_4272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240406127694628786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I did a little cleanup under the tree and think I'll like how it looks once the excess material is removed. Kind of reminds me of a campground.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKOkdyz3CnficK30VgshKGpAF9qEEZ8mm1tMXL-fhPLWM6cZqmnf7e1KzBHmwAZfuKxqFyYAQwjHPWuYIc1Zhj2b_-SK17fh_O-ujnjeipDW6ukyDaxoL3Ekh5tNUqey_mai9WKOf3Xk/s1600-h/100_4278.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKOkdyz3CnficK30VgshKGpAF9qEEZ8mm1tMXL-fhPLWM6cZqmnf7e1KzBHmwAZfuKxqFyYAQwjHPWuYIc1Zhj2b_-SK17fh_O-ujnjeipDW6ukyDaxoL3Ekh5tNUqey_mai9WKOf3Xk/s400/100_4278.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240406117368634914" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I also took a little time to work on two windows on the front of the house. Here's one of 'em with the new glazing in place. I only did the bottoms of the windows again, as the sides and tops were in decent shape. I'm still considering either completely rebuilding the windows or replacing them with higher-efficiency windows in the near future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwncTFUeWD-yFJOT6p0MuqAuijjzHaAxGhdG9iA_FrExmLpsTR2B-23mq_ZIae9COgKlzuWIM1JCKtoDxQf6q0n5HJV6AUZcmqaBPOH6dX2DqBQr1Z-sqbSraywdDJnl8pzkfkllIhNc/s1600-h/100_4270.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwncTFUeWD-yFJOT6p0MuqAuijjzHaAxGhdG9iA_FrExmLpsTR2B-23mq_ZIae9COgKlzuWIM1JCKtoDxQf6q0n5HJV6AUZcmqaBPOH6dX2DqBQr1Z-sqbSraywdDJnl8pzkfkllIhNc/s400/100_4270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240406130888057938" border="0" /></a>Muskego Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00066821318376402273noreply@blogger.com0